Bernal – who races for British WorldTour squad Team Ineos – has been home in Colombia, making various appearances to celebrate July's Tour victory, and recently visited the British embassy in Colombia's capital Bogotá. The visit was made in the company of outgoing Colombian Cycling Federation president Jorge Ovidio González and new federation president Jorge Mauricio Vargas, who were hosted by the embassy's Deputy Head of Mission, Greg Houston.

With them were Daniela Soler and Germán Darío Gómez, who will also represent Colombia at the Yorkshire Worlds in the junior categories.

According to the federation, Bernal was given a tour of the embassy and told about various social projects to improve the lives of children in rural areas of Colombia through the provision of bicycles, as well as taking the opportunity to organise his visa for his first race in Britain.

Although the 22-year-old will be representing his country for the first time at a road world championships in Yorkshire, he has taken part in the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, in 2014 in Norway, where he won silver for Colombia in the junior men's cross-country.

After racing in Yorkshire, Bernal will head to Italy, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport. Following largely the same programme as 2018, he'll race the Giro dell'Emilia, GP Bruno Beghelli, Tre Valli Varesine and Milano-Torino before ending his season with Il Lombardia.

While the Worlds road race on September 29 may not to prove hilly enough for the 60kg climber, various reconnaissance trips by the likes of the Belgian and Italian national teams have confirmed that the 284.5km race is tougher than was first thought.

The 2019 UCI Road World Championships get under way on September 21 with the para-cycling road races in Harrogate, and culminate with the elite men's road race on September 29.

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